Cuban Boxers Big Draw At Sydney

MIAMI — The talent pool of boxers at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, this fall is expected to attract more scouts and managers than any previous Olympics.

Cuba announced its roster of fighters, favored to win at least 10 of the 12 gold medals, which has Fort Lauderdale-based Team Freedom excited about future prospects despite Bob Arum's recent controversial comments.

"We will have a presence in Sydney," said Fort Lauderdale attorney Leon Margules, Team Freedom co-founder.

Arum, who heads Top Rank, told a gathering of reporters in May that "we have not had one Cuban fighter of the many, many that have defected amount to anything. Everybody thought they would be big prospects. We realize they are not worth a damn."

Team Freedom co-founder and manager Luis De Cubas disputed Arum's comments and said that after the Games, Olympic and world champion Joel Casamayor, Diobelys Hurtado and Ramon Garbey and 10 other Team Freedom fighters won't be the only promising boxers to come out of Cuba.

The biggest disadvantage Cuban fighters have is the number of amateur fights they have as "amateurs." Casamayor has more than 400 fights under his belt as an amateur but shows no signs of letting up.

"I guarantee if Arum could get three or four Cuban gold medal winners from Sydney, he would be back in the Cuban business real fast," De Cubas said.

The biggest names on this year's Cuban team are former Olympic champions Felix Savon at 91 kilograms and Maikro Romero at 48. Notable absences were Ariel Hernandez (75) and Hector Vinnent (63.5), who won Olympic gold medals in Atlanta in 1996 but have not performed up to expectations since.

Cuba has won 23 Olympic gold medals in the sport since 1972.

Other well known boxers on the team are Manuel Mantilla (54 kg), Enrique Carrion (57), Mario Kindelan (60), Juan Hernandez (67), Yudel Johnson (60), Jorge Gutierrez (71), Johanson Martinez (81) and Odlanier Solis (91). Longtime Cuban coach Alcides Sagarra will not be at the Games. He is serving a one-year suspension from tournaments by the International Amateur Boxing Association for calling the referees at last year's world championships in Houston corrupt.

Fight dropped

The junior-bantamweight non-title bout between Luis Bolano of Colombia (31-0, 24 KOs) and Julio Coronel (19-14-1, 15 KOs) has been dropped from the card. Bolano pulled out of the fight for unspecified reasons, according to his camp. ... About 200 people showed up Wednesday for Felix Trinidad's open workout.